Carmody reflects on his four year coaching run as a Swan

Joe Carmody may have coached his last game for the Ballarat Swans but he saluted the season with major award. Find out what is next for him.

Outgoing Ballarat Swans coach Joe Carmody is unsure what his future will look like but he knows the club is in safe hands regardless of who takes over.

Carmody’s reign as coach of the Swans ended last Saturday with the side losing by nine points to Sebastopol in the preliminary final in the Ballarat Football Netball League.

The Swans fell one game short of giving Carmody the perfect send off — a grand final in his last season.

“It’s a bit of a disappointing way to finish,” he said after the match.

“To get to where we were (second on the ladder) and miss out was disappointing.”

The Swans have been the kings all season of winning the close contests and it looked like prelim might have been another to fall their way.

Ballarat has won seven contests this season by seven points or less and only lost two by the same margin.

Down by five goals at three quarter time, the Swans made one final charge to save their season.

The Swans kicked four goals to one but it wasn’t enough as Sebastopol made back-to-back grand finals.

The Ballarat Swans season ended at the hands of Sebastopol on Saturday. Picture: Red Photos / Adam Cornell

Former AFL players Josh Gibson and Andrew Hooper combined for four goals despite both struggling with hamstring injuries during the finals series.

Carmody said the injuries to those two and others had an impact.

The team was also outplayed by the opposition.

“At this time of the year there are a number of teams carrying players with injuries,” Carmody said.

“With Hooper and Gibson hamstring’s and to miss (a couple of our) key backman, it caught up with us.

“Their pressure and cleanliness with the ball (was better) and some of their key players stood up in the clutch situations.

“When the pressure was on they didn’t fumble and made good decisions.

“We fumbled under pressure and it didn’t allow us the time and space to play.

“They shut down our kick mark game.”

The Swans made their first finals appearance since 2014 this year with Carmody having his first finals series as a coach.

He said the team was well placed to have success without him.

“It all bodes well for the future, there’s a lot of 19, 20, 21 year olds who have played three finals (this year),” he said.

“When I started it was all about putting time in players and developing them.

“I could have hung in there longer to get the flag but I was always going to be here for four years and end after that.”

His season was rewarded with coach of the year at the BFNL awards on Monday night.

So what is next?

Carmody hasn’t ruled out coaching elsewhere but it’s not on his agenda right now.

“I haven’t thought too far ahead in terms of football,” he said.

“I’ll have time with family and I’ll weigh things up after Christmas.

“The time off will be beneficial.”

He won’t miss the close finishes the side had this year but he will miss the players.

“The highlight was just the relationship with the players,” he said.

“I enjoyed that, just to see the growth of the players and see them develop.”

The Ballarat Swans are expected to announce their replacement coach in the next few weeks.